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MECHA's Chef Brian Reilly Recipe Demo's The Mushroom Dumplings on Instagram Live

Events Events

Stephanie Webster July 18, 2020

Hey all you MECHA Noodle Bar fans. Chef Anna Gass is back this Wednesday night, July 22nd at 7PM to “Cook The Book.” Every week we demo recipes from the CTbites Cookbook, Connecticut Chefs Recipes for Restaurant Relief. (You can purchase the book here. All $$ goes to feed out of work restaurant employees).

On July 22nd, Chef Brian Reilly of MECHA Noodle Bar will help Anna Gass (Heirloom Kitchen author) cook MECHA’s famous MUSHROOM DUMPLINGS. I don’t know about you guys, but I can’t wait to see how this is done, and you can follow along in your own cookbook.

WHEN: July 22nd, 7PM on CTbites Instagram LIVE!!

Nibble: Tasty CT Food Events for July 13-26

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Emma Jane-Doody Stetson July 10, 2020

Havana Nights are coming to The Spread SoNo on Thursdays! Join them for a Cuban dinner for two in the courtyard for only $70. Start with your choice of a pitcher of mojitos, a pitcher of red or rosé sangria, or bottle of house wine! From there you choose 2 appetizers, an entree for 2 with 2 sides, and finish off with dessert for 2. Book your reservations online or call ahead to reserve your spot.

The Millwright’s Market is coming soon! In the weeks ahead, you’ll be able to head to their loft space for quality pre-prepared foods, wine, raw produce, pastas, meats, cheeses, dairy, and some artisan goods for Simsbury and surrounding communities to enjoy. If you are a producer or know of one who'd have interest in distributing through the market, please reach out to Tyler@millwrightsrestaurant.com.

Every Wednesday, tune into CTbites INSTAGRAM LIVE at 8pm as they "COOK THE BOOK" with live recipe demos from cookbook author Anna Francese Gass and a weekly guest chef. The Connecticut Chefs Recipes for Restaurant Relief E-Cookbook in on sale now with 100% of the proceeds go towards the creation of pantry boxes to feed out of work restaurant staff.

ZA Pizza in Stratford announces its “Debut Re-do!” Created by life-long friends and now business partners, ZA Pizza is rooted in pizzaiola pedigree and created for how people are eating today - fresh, from scratch, at home, and on-the-go.

Nibble: Tasty CT Food Events for July 4-11

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Emma Jane-Doody Stetson July 03, 2020

Bloodroot has reopened their dining room with special hours. They are now open from 4 - 8 pm on Fridays and Saturdays! They continue to be open for dining inside, outside, and for take away on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 4-7pm. We hope to have news soon on when we will resume other dining times. Though not required, they suggest making a reservation by calling 203-576-9168.

Essex, CT has launched Alfresco Thursdays, a summertime event that will continue weekly through August 27. Alfresco Thursdays boasts numerous patio and dockside dining venues from the top to bottom of Main Street in Essex Village, at Olive Oyl’s Creative Cuisine, The Griswold Inn, Carlson’s Landing (opening mid -July) and Siren – a new marine restaurant at Safe Harbor Essex Island. To ramp up the alfresco spirit, The Essex restaurant will feature a pop-up experience at Main Street Park, where Chef Colt Taylor will be serving his award–winning “Connecticut Lobster Rolls.” There will be live music and retail specials as well.

Chef Brian Lewis has built a NEW outdoor PATIO for The Cottage in Westport (and it’s fabulous). He has also opened outdoor dining on the waterfront at OKO. Reservations are via phone only, same-day beginning at 2pm.

High George, the rooftop restaurant and bar at The Blake Hotel reopens with a magical springtime garden with seasonal greenery and décor to align with Award Winning Chef Anderson’s new spring dishes, and drinks.

Nibble: Tasty CT Food Events for Week of June 29 - July 11

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Emma Jane-Doody Stetson June 28, 2020

On June 30, The Waters Edge at Giovanni’s invites you to their first drive-in movie experience. Check out BIG on the big screen.

Half Full Brewery just opened a new Stamford location, Third Place, with an outdoor beer garden, locally made brews and draft cocktails made with local spirits, and live music coming soon! Third Place will also serve as a work and events space. (+ Hapa Food Truck!)

Every Wednesday night at 8pm, tune into CTBites’s Instagram Live to watch them as they "cook the book!” The Connecticut Chefs Recipes for Restaurant Relief E-Cookbook is now on sale and every week cookbook author Anna Francese Gass and a guest chef will show you how to make one of the recipes.

Oyster Club’s “Summer Nights” pop-up continues through July 11th.

Don’t miss Grano Arso’s Vietnamese Pop-Up every Monday.

Cook The Book: Tune In On CTBites Instagram Live July 1st with Chef Emily Mingrone of Tavern On State

Events Recipe Cooking Cookbooks Education Instagram Live Recipe Video

Stephanie Webster June 28, 2020

Readers, Diners, New Quarantine Couch Potato-Turned-Chefs! Tune into our new IGTV Weekly Series COOK THE BOOK.

On Wednesday July 1st @8PM, join trained chef and beloved Connecticut Cookbook author, Anna Francese Gass (Heirloom Kitchen 2019) & Guest Chef Emily Mingrone from award winning Tavern On State, as they cook Emily’s recipe for Chicken & Dumplings from our recently released CTBites e-cookbook: Connecticut Chef Recipes for Restaurant Relief

Tune In on @CTBITES INSTAGRAM LIVE!!

Nibble: Tasty CT Food Events for June 22-28

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Emma Jane-Doody Stetson June 21, 2020

It’s all about Tiki Tuesdays in Stamford! You and 5 other people can board the Tiki Taxi at The Crab Shell restaurant for a 30 minute spin around the harbor while listening to our tropical soundtrack and enjoying whatever you bring to drink. Price includes a complimentary Hawaiian Lei as well as our cooler loaded with ice and cups for your favorite beverage (BYOB).

For four weeks this season, Oyster Club presents “Summer Nights,” an outdoor pop-up restaurant at Stone Acres Farm. Dine outdoors under the stars amongst summer blooms in the historic formal gardens. Every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night from June 18 through July 11, Oyster Club Executive Chef James Wayman and team will present a four course menu with a welcome cocktail, centered around a different theme.

Bar Rosso in Stamford is now open on Mondays! Join them for happy hour from 3-6pm and wine bottle specials after 6pm.

Cook The Book: Recipe Demos On Instagram Live Every Wednesday with Cookbook Author Anna Gass

Features Events Cooking Cookbooks Education Recipe Recipe Video Celebrity Chef

Kristin L. Wolfe June 20, 2020

Readers, Diners, New Quarantine Couch Potato-Turned-Chefs! Get Ready to tune into our new IGTV Weekly Series COOK THE BOOK.

Join trained chef and beloved Connecticut Cookbook author, Anna Francese Gass (Heirloom Kitchen 2019), as she makes her way one through some of the most delicious recipes in the recently released CTBites e-cookbook: Connecticut Chef Recipes for Restaurant Relief

Starting this Wednesday June 24th @8PM Gass + a weekly featured Guest Chef will bring the book alive and further whet your appetite and drive to get in the kitchen. This week

So, grab your aprons, your whisks, and the new e-cookbook (should we still plug here? for fun, great food, and to continue supporting our state’s wonderful restaurant industry.

Nibble: CT Food Events, Openings, & News for June 15-21

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Emma Jane-Doody Stetson June 12, 2020

Hoodoo Brown BBQ is bringing back its Hoodoo Barbeque School just in time for “Summer School.” Everyone who had their class cancelled due to corona will receive a special email with an early access code and get first shot at BBQ school. Stay tuned to their Facebook and social media platforms for details!

Millwrights in Simsbury now offers brunch from 11am - 3pm! The three course prix fixe meal is $29. See the menu here.

Terrain Café in Westport has reopened! The new limited hours are Friday 9-8, Saturday 9-8, and Sunday 9-4.

Sign up now for the Caseus x Ordinary Food and Booze Pairing Class! On June 26, Jason, Tom, and Tim take you on a virtual culinary experience that you are sure to remember. Pickup the ingredients on 6/24 or 6/25 and tune in on the 26th! It is $45.

On Monday June 15, join Wakeman Town Farm for an online talk entitled “How to Bring Biodiversity Back to Your Yard and Gardens.” $10 suggested donation. You will receive a Zoom link to let you into the talk, which takes place from 7-8pm. Sign up here.

Tips to Maximize Your CSA From Mike's Organic Delivery

Features Ingredients CSA Local Farm Ingredients How To Shop Local

Mike Geller June 11, 2020

Having connected farmers to consumers for 10 years in Fairfield & Westchester Counties, Mike's Organic owner Mike Geller knows a thing or two about CSAs. And if there was ever a time to give a CSA a chance, it's now! First and foremost, our farmers need us. As many farms rely significantly on business from restaurants and other sources, a great way to support our farms right now is through signing up for a CSA.

This crisis has highlighted the importance of small, local farms. If planes stop flying or processing plants close, it is they that will feed us...let us never forget that. Second, it is a way to guarantee that fresh, healthy, local food will be on your table for a period of several months. There is so much uncertainty in the world and this is one way to regain some control over your food. Also, so many of us are home cooking and a CSA allows you to be creative and introduce new things to your family!

If you take care of your produce, it will take care of you. It's so fresh when you get it, and if you just give it a little love it will give a whole lot back.

Nibble: Tasty CT Food News and Events for May 12-24

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Emma Jane-Doody Stetson May 11, 2020

On May 14, Chef Geoff Lazlo will host a virtual cooking class to benefit The United Way of Greenwich. A $40 box comes with all of the ingredients that you need to make a 2 course dinner at home. Start by creating a Lionni Latticini Burrata & Sugar Snap Pea Salad. As an entrée, follow along to cook a Half Chicken, Roasted Tomato & Chickpea Ragü with Asparagus. Email geoff@geofflazlo.com for more information.

Chef Tyler Anderson of Millwright’s will lead a virtual cooking class on May 15. Purchase a kit ahead of time, which includes all the ingredients you will need for an hour long cooking class with Chef Tyler Anderson via Zoom. Pan roasted asparagus with sauce gribiche, Lobster gnocchi with spring vegetables and pesto, and Lemon bars with chantilly cream are all on the menu. Wine add-ons available!

Ordinary & Roia of New Haven are teaming up for a Virtual Cocktail & Food Pairing Class on Friday, May 15th at 7:30pm. Cocktails by Ordinary and Food prepared by ROIA! All options will be vegetarian and all kits will be picked up at Ordinary. https://roiarestaurant.square.site/

Ben To Table: Food Subscription Launches To Promote Small-Batch Producers of Gourmet Pantry Items

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CTbites Team April 24, 2020

So, we all like to support our local vendors, especially at times like these, but occasionally you need something a little “extra” or specialized, that you may not find at your local shop. Enter food-lover, cook, and long-time advocate Ben Simon, a New Haven native who is bringing high-quality, small-producer pantry staples and non-perishables to front doors across the United States with his new subscription box company, Ben to Table.

Ben to Table is a New Haven-based monthly subscription box inspired by Simon’s years of working on environmental and human rights campaigns across the globe, with a focus on preserving and promoting sustainable agriculture.

Guide To Connecticut's Dairy Farmers: Shop Locallly!

Features Ingredients Local Farm Local Artisan Farm Fresh Dairy Farm Farm Stand CT Farms Homepage

CTbites Team April 14, 2020

Connecticut dairy farmers selling directly to consumers are not caught up in the milk-dumping situation because they do bottling and distribution themselves. Here is Connecticut Food & Farm’s list of Connecticut dairies who sell milk and dairy like half & half, butter, and yogurt direct to you at their stands or via delivery NOW. This provides you reliable sourcing of the freshest product and the best profitability for the farm.

We have not included ice cream although some make it, we have focused on the basics here. You can click through to their websites to see the other products they have available at their locations.

35+ DIY Take-Out Meals, Desserts & Cocktail Kits From CT Restaurants

Features Ingredients Take Out Delivery Service Entertaining Catering Cocktails Pizza Dessert Homepage

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson April 05, 2020

After weeks of being cooped up at home, you may be looking at ways to pass the time and explore your creative side. Fortunately, Connecticut restaurants, bakeries, and caterers are here to the rescue with fabulous DIY options to bring their delicacies into your kitchen. Sweet tooths and kiddos can partake in all kinds of cupcake and baking kits while the 21 and over crowd can get all of the ingredients to make their own restaurant worthy cocktails. There are also pizza kits, pasta kits, and more. Check out our full guide here!

Westport Farmers’ Market Launches Pilot Farmers' Market Program

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Stephanie Webster March 27, 2020

The Westport Farmers’ Market understands the value of the local food community, and the importance of access to healthy fresh food…food that has traveled a lesser distance and handled only by the purveyor and buyer. We know this local food community is important to our economy as it keeps the money spent by you and then the vendor here supporting our neighbors.

Market Director Lori Cochran says “We, also, know we will find our way back to our gathering place on Imperial Ave and eventually back to Gilbertie's next winter BUT for now, it is in our blood to get you local food. To do so, we are launching a pilot farmers' market program under the strictest guidelines for shopping and collection of your purchases. The well being of you, ourselves and our vendors is the utmost priority.”

60 Connecticut Breweries Still Open For Take-Out And Delivery

Ingredients Features CT Beer Brewery Beer Take Out

James Gribbon March 18, 2020

The wave of local breweries made this new world possible, but for now their doors are mostly closed. Here's what we can do to see them open again.

Breweries are still allowed to sell to-go orders, offering pickup or curbside delivery options. This post will list info on breweries, their hours, and links to order online. I won't be able to find them all, so I encourage readers, brewers, and reps to include further info about their operations in the comments section below. Most breweries are small businesses, and all depend from some degree or entirely on in-person sales. Let's help the brewers and staff keep the Connecticut beer culture we love going.

Muscle Up Protein Bars: The Official Bar of Team USA Weightlifting Was Born in CT

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Stephanie Webster March 12, 2020

A few months ago I started buying Muscle Up Protein Bars at my local smoothie joint. The packaging advertised them as the first bar to be based on the beloved sweet potato, featuring grass fed whey protein, and all of the ingredients are clearly recognizable…nothing artificial. I sampled the varieties, settled on the Peanut Butter & Cacao Nib as my flavor of choice, and went in deep. After stock piling these bad boys for weeks, said smoothie shop owner informed me that the creators of Muscle Up were actually CT residents, and had developed these right around the corner. Also, turns out, the bar of my dreams is the official bar of Team USA Weightlifting. Who knew??

Nibble: Boozy & Tasty CT Food Events for March 8-15

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Emma Jane-Doody Stetson March 04, 2020

Meatball lovers unite- National Meatball Day is March 9th! To celebrate the holiday, Culinary Director Diego Burgos of the newly-opened MJ23 Sports Bar & Grill in Mohegan Sun, is unveiling a special Meatball menu. Highlight dishes include Meatball Sliders, Meatball Pizza, Meatball Sub and a classic Spaghetti & Meatballs served with signature garlic bread. The meatball menu will be available every Monday for Meatball Mondays.

On March 9, visit Sweets on Main in Branford for a BYOB St. Patty’s Day themed Piñata Cake decorating class! You will frost and decorate a 3 layer 6 inch cake.

Niantic & East Lyme Restaurant Week returns March 9 – 16, 2020. Restaurants like Lyme Tavern, Castello of Niantic, and The Black Sheep are offering a range of specials throughout the week. Visit the website to see the list of restaurants and their offers.

Join the Chef Team from Terrain Cafe and Amis Trattoria, Westport for teaching and tasting culinary journey at the Stamford Museum & Nature Center. On March 9, make Pink Peppercorn Tonarelli with Regional Executive Chef, Jes Bengtson. Learn to roll with the best as Regional Executive Chef Jes Bengtson teaches the class how to handroll pasta to create a special twist on the classic cacio e pepe.

Continuum Distilling Opens In Waterbury With Craft Spirits Made From Beer

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James Gribbon March 03, 2020

Because they apparently didn't have enough on their plates with Black Hog brewing, Ordinary cocktail bar, OLMO, Caseus, and The Stack in New Haven, Jason and Tom Sobocinski and Tyler Jones have launched Continuum Distilling in Waterbury. The distillery logo features a hop surrounded by the tricorner symbol for recycling, an emblem of their process, which takes the often discarded "trimmings" from area breweries, and reduces them to an unusual, boozy essence.

I made it up to Continuum last weekend for their grand opening, and my first impression was that it shares a building with Brass Works Brewing. Neat! I'd had several Brass Works beers before, but I'd never been, so a single trip can be a BOGO for the efficiency-minded drinker on the go.

Nibble: Tasty CT Food Events For March 1-8

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Emma Jane-Doody Stetson February 27, 2020

Greenwich Restaurant Week spans from March 6-13. Festivities kick off with an Opening Night party on March 4 at the J House. Sample a variety of tasty tapas and light bites, sip creative cocktails poured by local mixologists, and dance to a DJ. For more information on participating restaurants and deals available during Greenwich Restaurant Week, check out the web site.

Attend “A Raclette Evening at Greenwich Cheese Company” on March 4. This kind of cheese is known for being melted and scraped over bread, potatoes, cornichons, and cured meats. Check it out for yourself from 7-9pm!

The Redding Roadhouse hosts a Duckhorn Wine Dinner on Wednesday March 5 from 6:30-9:30pm. The famous Napa Valley wines will be paired with 4 delicious courses, including dishes like Seared Diver Scallop and Beef Two Ways. Tickets are $85.

Arethusa Dairy Farm: Saving CT Farmland Through Exceptional Dairy

Features Ingredients Bantam Litchfield CT Farms Local Farm Local Artisan Dairy Farm ice cream Cheese Homepage

Jessica Ryan February 26, 2020

CTBites and Terrain were recently invited to Arethusa Dairy Farm for a behind the scenes tour of their dairy farm and cheese making process. But before we get all cheesy, I want to share the wonderful story of a once little known dairy farm.

It all began in 1999 when the Webster family put their 150 year old family farm up for sale. Worried that their view would be obstructed, and to preserve the historic property, neighbors George Malkemus and Anthony Yurgatis stepped in to purchase the farm once named for a small pink orchid that grew in a swamp on the land. Malkemus and Yurgatis promised to restore its original name, and such were the humble beginnings of the Arethusa Dairy Farm.